A rather obvious insight is that GDP over time is increasing. This indicates an economic growth which almost all countries have seen in the span of 2 centuries. Consequently this indicates improved living standards compared to the past.

What is interesting is the fact that global events such as the World Wars, do not necessarily affect all countries or even continents the same.

In fact, the economic impact varied dramatically depending on the country’s role in the war, its geography, and its level of destruction or mobilization.

• European nations like France, the Soviet Union, and Germany experienced sharp GDP declines, especially during years of invasion, occupation, or heavy bombing.

• The United States is a major exception: its GDP grew significantly during the war due to massive industrial mobilization, military production, and full employment.

• Neutral or less-affected countries (like Switzerland or Sweden) often maintained or modestly grew their economies.

Similar to GDP, Life expectancy is on a positive trend for most of the world. This is thanks to a complex interplay of scientific, social, and economic advancements. Vaccines, antibiotics, sanitation systems, waste disposal systems, better nutrition, education etc. However,some regions (especially sub-Saharan Africa) still face challenges from HIV/AIDS, malaria, conflict, and healthcare access.

Wars also have a direct impact on the life expectancy , as can be seen via the interactive plot

As for the highest it is not surprise that we have Japan and it is interesting to note the prediction for the 21st century for Singapore.

Equally for lowest of the century we have Fiji & Samoa with less than 2 years. These are clearly outliers mostly impacted by epidemics or wars.

• The 1918 value for Samoa (1.13 years) might be real — that year coincides with the global Spanish flu pandemic, which devastated some Pacific islands.

• But even in extreme cases, a national average life expectancy of 1 year is highly unlikely — it may reflect a misinterpreted statistic (e.g., infant mortality or a partial population).

• For Hong Kong the value zero begins from the year 2020. Just the year before the recorded life expectancy was 85.3 years. Therefore we consider this a missing value. It could be related with COVID as it is the same year and after that the data is 0.

GDP & Life expectancy are positively correlated.

In Europe between 2000 and 2020, countries with higher GDP per capita consistently show higher life expectancy. However, the relationship is not perfectly linear; some countries achieve high life expectancy with moderate GDP, suggesting that healthcare systems, education, and social policies also play a critical role.

It is worth drawing attention to the decrease of GDP during the years 2008–2010. This period marks the aftermath of the global financial crisis, which severely impacted many European economies. Countries like Greece, Spain, Portugal, and Ireland faced deep recessions, rising unemployment, and austerity measures. The decline in GDP during these years reflects the widespread contraction in economic activity across the continent.

However, it was not the same for Life expectancy. Life expectancy growth stagnated or slowed down, but didn’t reverse. This was linked to austerity measures, reduced public health spending, and increased pressure on healthcare systems.

It is positive to see that in the year 2020, all countries are above 70 years, however not all have the same GDP levels again supporting the non linear relationship and the existence of other variables.